Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles

Marine mammals, including whales, dolphins, porpoises, and seals, are found throughout the New York Bight. Humpback, fin, and North Atlantic right whales typically feed in the Bight and are present year-round, with numbers varying seasonally. Sperm whales, dolphins, beaked whales, harbor porpoises, and harbor and gray seals also inhabit the New York Bight. Harbor porpoises and seals tend to move north of the Bight in summer, while pilot, sperm whales and other species migrate seasonally.

The most common sea turtle in the New York Bight is the loggerhead sea turtle, but studies have also found Kemp’s ridley, leatherback, and green sea turtles. Sea turtles migrate into the Bight during the summer and travel south of the Bight to warmer waters during the winter.

Offshore Wind

NYSERDA is leading the coordination of offshore wind opportunities in New York State and is supporting the development of 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2035 in a responsible and cost-effective manner. Offshore wind will be a crucial step on the pathway to a carbon-neutral economy as Governor Andrew M. Cuomo proposed in his Green New Deal, a nation-leading clean energy and jobs agenda. Offshore wind will support the Governor’s call for 70 percent of New York’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030.